Monthly Archives: November 2012
trapped
Job 3 Job had only one thing left. He had his life, and he cursed the day of his birth. Life had been precious to him, and now he saw it as a prison. Seeing how much people suffer, … Continue reading
from bad to worse
Job 2 Job’s victory over his circumstances (and the devil behind them) is seen in the fact that God still boasts of his integrity as he did before calamity struck. So, Satan pleads for more control. The LORD gives him … Continue reading
catastrophe
Job 1 A major test of a person’s character comes with catastrophe. It brings out the worst in some people, the best in others. Job is one of those people whose pure hearts shines through when struck by darkness all … Continue reading
still options
2 Kings 25:22-30 Gedaliah’s assassination leads the Babylonians to release Jehoiachin from prison, and he stays in Babylon for the rest of his life. He is a thin thread of hope that one day there will be a monarchy again … Continue reading
God does not need me
2 Kings 24:18-25:21 “For because of the anger of the LORD it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.” (2 Kings 24:20 ESV) Judah had presumed upon the LORD’s favor … Continue reading
whatever happens
2 Kings 23:31-24:17 The end of Judah came not with an explosive battle, but with a series of failures. There were attacks on all sides, and nothing that anyone could do. The great city that was Jerusalem became a collection … Continue reading
cleaning up
2 Kings 23:1-30 Of all the reforms of the kings, none was more comprehensive than that of Josiah. Reading through the list, one gets an idea how syncretistic Judah had become. Every aspect of their society had been permeated by … Continue reading
a right relationship with God
2 Kings 22 Josiah’s deep repentance for what his ancestors had done was not enough to reverse the curse the nation had put upon itself. But it was enough to ensure that he would be gathered to his fathers (buried) … Continue reading
business as usual
2 Kings 21 Two evil kings came after Hezekiah, and proceeded to undo all his good work, and send Judah closer to judgment. The pressure to conform to the idolatry of the nations around them must have been great. There … Continue reading
thinking about the future
2 Kings 20 If good king Hezekiah can be faulted with anything, it is this: He did not think about the future enough. He wanted healing, prayed for it, and got it. But when the Babylonian envoys came, he was … Continue reading